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God knew what He was doing when He sent a gentle breeze and brought a lovely butterfly to set my heart at ease. The happiness of your friendship and the gentleness of your words have touched my life in special ways and now I feel assured. Thank you for your loyalty and for reading everyday. I only hope you find things to make a happy day.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Parsley and Me


Let's get back to herb gardening. Probably my favorite and most used herb is parsley. I use it so much in the kitchen. It gives things a fresh taste I think. Here are some growing tips:


As with most herbs, parsley does best in a sunny area which receives direct light for 6-8 hours a day, although it can tolerate some light shade. Plants will be more productive if grown in well drained soil that is fairly rich in organic matter, with a pH range of 6.0-7.0.
I usually buy parsley plants, because seed germination is slow and i tend to be an impatient gardener. I buy 3 plants and those are enough for me for the whole growing season. I do harvest it in the fall and dry it, put it in a big jar and use it throughout the winter in lots of cooking.
Do not allow the plants to dry out completely between waterings in the garden. Water deeply at least once a week to insure the roots are receiving enough moisture during the growing season. A light mulch of ground up leaves or grass clippings will help retain moisture and keep weeds to a minimum.
Fertilize plants in garden beds once or twice during the growing season, using a 5-10-5 commercial fertilizer.I don't have a vegetable garden so I have been planting these right along with my flowers. The foliage is so pretty and makes a nice filler. Check my comments for a place to buy potted herbs.

In the kitchen, I use it for soups, stews, salads, garnishes, meats and veggies. Our favorite recipe would have to be parsley potatoes... the recipe follows.



GARLIC PARSLEY POTATOES

10 potatoes

2 sticks butter

garlic salt, to taste

parsley, to taste

black pepper, to taste
Peel and cube potatoes into bite size pieces. Place in pan and cover with water, boil until almost done, but still firm.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F.
While oven is heating up, place one stick of butter in a 9x13 pan and allow to melt.
When potatoes are ready, drain and pour over melted butter, sprinkle garlic salt, parsley, and pepper on top and dot with remaining stick of butter.
Mix together well.
Bake for about 30-45 minutes or until slightly browned on top.


These are delicious fixed this way. I usually make a half recipe for the two of us :) I always have about half leftover to use for another meal. Sometimes I cut them up a little smaller and toss them in a skillet whereI have just cooked bacon and serve them with eggs at breakfast. This is a naughty recipe....butter in the original recipe and bacon grease the next day. We don't have these often, but once in a while yum!

Balisha

5 comments:

LeatherneckJoe said...

I would suggest Garden Harvest Supply as a good online resource for potted herb plants, http://www.gardenharvestsupply.com/category/buy-potted-herb-garden-plants

Balisha said...

Thanks for the information...I'll check into it.Thanks for reading...

Elenka said...

yeah, that IS a lot of butter....and therefore....I'm sure.... Delicious !!!!

Balisha said...

Hi Elenka,
I do make parsley potatoes a little healthier usually...but these are really good.Have you ever watched Paula Deen on TV? I felt like her, when I put this recipe here.

OhioMom said...

I use a lot of parsley too, it did so well in my container garden last year that I plan on planting quite a bit more this year and drying it for later use.

I love parsley potatoes :)